Marketing Fundamentals For Social Media
10 Jan
My Rampage Against Traditional Media And Marketing
I am the kind of person who likes to be different than everyone else.
And it can be quite funny sometimes. Because it seems the harder I try to be different the more I realize how similar I am to the masses.
So when my eyes laid hold of social media, podcasting, and online video a few years ago, I jumped in with both feet. It was a way to be “different” as a media creator.
In my mind I was certain RSS would supplant email – online video would kill TV – podcasting would become the new radio – and blogging would cause newspapers everywhere to begin shredding paper for mulch.
In the marketing world, I looked at text based sales letters, TV ads, and traditional marketing campaigns with a smug eye of a cocky new media guy.
“I can’t believe these stupid foolish old school ways of marketing are still popular. What fools,” I would snort.
Of course these copywriters and marketers were making money.
I wasn’t.
Not then anyway.
But in my mind it was just a matter of time before podcasting and new media hit the stratosphere and I would be a millionaire.
Didn’t happen. At least not with podcasting and new media.
And you know what? The traditional marketers who use TV, radio, print, and sales letters are still making money.
And now they are starting to use podcasts, video, blogs, and Twitter to make money too.
What did I miss two years ago?
There Is Nothing New
“What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.”
- Ecclesiastes 1:9
The fundamentals of business do not change. When you strip it down – the basic idea of business is this.
A) You purchase something – add value to it – and sell it to someone else at a higher price than you paid for it.
or…
B) You make something of value or create a service and sell it to someone for a price that covers your time and effort.
That’s it.
Business is nothing more that these two options.
As media professionals we get caught up in all the bells and whistles of marketing, PR, advertising, and sales. We think that we have a better way since we have the leverage of technology on our side.
But the basics of business have been around for thousands of years. Modern sales and marketing techniques allow us to scale. And social media and the web multiply that scale in unprecedented and powerful ways.
But don’t jump to new technology too quickly until you look over the basics.
Those basics are:
* Be sure you are making a great product or service
* Focus on the customer’s needs
* Don’t forget the power of the written word. Sales letters and basic copywriting still work.
The Basics Are Key
Zappos is a great example of a company that had the basics mastered before delving into web 2.0.
Come on. Can you get more offline than a shoe store?
And yet Zappos is leveraging their brand online using Twitter and blogs.
Master The Fundamentals And Your Social Media Marketing Will Rock
If you really want the full advantage of Social Media marketing then you need to master the basics of marketing and sales.
Get yourself a good copywriting book. I recommend Dan Kennedy’s The Ultimate Sales Letter.
Next start into social media with a blog. A blog is the engine that runs everything else. It is a great tool for gaining new customers, building your brand, creating a feedback loop, and posting original content and information.
What other fundamentals would you suggest? Do you agree that these are important?
Let me know by commenting on this blog post. Or join the discussion in real time by following me on Twitter.
===========================================
This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask the questions while standing at the intersection of social media, podcasting, online video, marketing, PR, storytelling, life and leadership…. and what the heck this all means for my business and yours. If you like what you see – please subscribe to it for free. To join the discussion or to comment follow me on Twitter.
*Photo By Inky
